Apparatus for removing gases

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for removing gas and similar fluids from closed areas comprises a frame in which a drum is rotatably mounted. An outlet socket is set axially into one end of the drum in fixed relation to the frame and a hose is wound on the drum and has one end connected inside the drum to the outlet socket. A spiral spring device is mounted on a shaft fixed axially to the other end of the drum for rotating the drum to wind up the hose. Stop elements are provided on the hose and the frame to stop the winding of the drum and a releasable catch is secured to the frame and cooperates with tooth segments on the spring device to hold the drum in the desired position.

United States Patent I [191 Nederman July 9,1974

[ APPARATUS FOR REMOVING GASES 22 Filed: Apr. 16, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 351,352

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 18, 1972 Sweden 4973/72 [52] US. Cl. 137/355.26, l37/355.22 [51] Int. Cl B65h 75/46 [58] Field of Search..... l37/355.16, 355.17, 355.18, l37/355.l9, 355.20, 355.21, 355.22, 355.23, 355.24, 355.25, 355.26, 355.27, 355.28

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,524,172 l/l925 Dewey 137/355.19 2,478,540 8/1949 Martin 137/355.17 X 3,011,201 12/1961 Cymara 137/355.26 X

3,388,716 6/1968 Wilson 137/355.22 3,433,247 3/1969 Haselden.... 137/35526 3,552,425 l/l971 Olson l37/355.17

Primary Examinerl-lenry T. Klinksiek Attorney, Agent, or Firm-John J. Dennemeyer [57] ABSTRACT An apparatus for removing gas and similar fluids from closed areas comprises a frame in which a drum is rotatably mounted. An outlet socket is set axially into one end of the drum in fixed relation to the frame and a hose is wound on the drum and has one end connected inside the drum to the outlet socket. A spiral spring device is mounted on a shaft fixed axially to the otherend of the drum for rotating the drum to wind up the hose. Stop elements are provided on the hose and theframe to stop the winding of the drum and a releasable catch is secured to the frame and cooperates with tooth segments on the spring device to hold the drum' in the desired position.

. 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures APPARATUS FOR REMOVING GASES The present invention relates to an apparatus for removing gases and the like from closed areas, for example from the work areas in work shops and factories.

For this purpose one has hitherto used fixed elements and installations, for example pipes that are secured to the ceiling and are connected to hose sections which are usually lying indiscriminately on the floor of the work area.

It is obvious that such installations are difficult to adapt to varying requirements and that they enhance the possibility of accidents, and that damage to the hose sections is a common occurrence.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the above mentioned type which can be easily mounted, and can be used at any desired location over a relatively large area, and which takes up" only a small amount of space when not in use, and wherein the hose is protected against external damage and is removed from the work area of the personnel.

Other objects and advantages of the invention may be seen from the following detailed specification describing an embodyment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus according to the invention secured to the ceiling of a work shop,

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through the apparatus shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a part of the mechanism for winding the hose,

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view, on a larger scale, of a part of a locking mechanism of the'apparatus and,

FIG. 5 shows an additional way of connecting the hose to an outlet socket.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawings presents a frame 1 for mounting a rotatable drum 2. The frame may be secured to the ceiling, wall 'or other support according to the requirements, and has a central connecttutes the winding and unwinding core for a second hose 5 which is provided at its other end, or in that proximity, preferably with a handle or coupling member 6 which may also have the function of a stop during winding of the hose on the drum. An adjustable abutment 20 which may consist of a steel hose with a hose clamp that may be secured at any desired point on the hose, may also be provided. The other end of the hose 5 is connected with the outlet socket 3 in a gas tight manner, as shown for example in FIG. 2, where the drum is shown to be gas tight, and wherein the other end of the hose 5 is connected to the drum 7, and the outlet socket 3, it also connected in a gas tight manner to the left side of the drum. As the drum must be rotatable relative to the fixed outlet socket it is necessary to provide sealing elements (not shown) between the particular fixed and moving elements.

As shown in the drawings and as explained above the hose is to be wound on the drum between its lateral flanges. In order to obtain an automatic winding of the hose 5 during non use or to lock the hose in the desired extended position, the drum is preferably provided with a driving device in the form of a spiral spring construction 8 which is combined with a locking arrangement that consists of a plurality of tooth segments 9 spaced from each other along the circumference of the spring housing, and with a locking catch 10. The catch 10 is secured to the frame and may be actuated by a draw spring 11 FIG. 4. The shaft 12 of the catch 10 is mounted, as seen in the unwinding direction, behind the locking tooth of the catch, so that the catch locks the drum as long as it is in engagement with one of the segments. Since the hose must be wound on the drum the hose is pulled out until the locking catch has slid past the last tooth of the particular segment. Due to the fact that the hose is subsequently released the spiral spring 8 is free to rotate the drum in the desired direction. The locking catch which is released in the interval 13 between the segments is rotated and assumes the position shown in FIG. 2 in dash lines and slides consequently over the locking teeth of the segment. A subsequent unwinding of the hose has the effect that the catch rotates once more in the interval between two segments and returns thereby into the original position to lock against movement of the drum in one direction.

In order to guide the hose 5 in a careful manner and to provide a stop for the winding of the hose, the frame 1 is provided with a rotatably mounted roll 17 which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drum and whose spacing from the jacket surface of the drum is.so measured that the hose 5 may pass through the spacing while the stop 20 is retained.

In order to remove gases, for example from a motor vehicle, it is necessary only to take hold of the handle portion 6 of the hose 5, unwind the desired length of the hose and connect the end to the discharge'pipe of the vehicle. When the hose 5 is to be wound again on the drum 2 it is sufficient to carry out the above mentioned unwinding of the hose in order to eliminate the locking effect so that the winding of the hose is effected by the force of the spring 8. i

It will be understood that the above mentioned arrangement permits the removal of gases in work areas which are relatively far apart and also that it will be very easy to change the arrangement by providing different and supplemental structures. The apparatus of the invention can be produced at reasonable cost and would therefore also be suitable for smaller work shops.

In view of the fact that the stop is arranged at a suitable distance from the end of the hose the latter can be reached more easily, for example when it is wound up as shown in FIG, 1, and can also be introduced more easily into an opening. During removal of gases during welding operations whereby welding sparks will be removed. To collect this type of particles and others a part of the conduit between the connection of the hose 5 of the drum and the connecting socket may be designed as a releasable collecting receptacle with a collecting net, and if desired it may be made of a heat resistant material.

As shown in FIG. 5 the hose may also be connected to the socket 3 in that the end of the sleeve is guided in a sealing manner through the jacket surface of the drum to its center point where the hose is bent in such a way that it extends essentially concentrically. to the axis of rotation of the drum. The end of the hose is pulled on the sleeve 14 which is made of pressed or drawn sheet metal, the sleeve 14 being connected to the lateral flange of the drum which carries a bearing of synthetic material or the like. An inner sleeve 16 is also connected to the frame similar to the socket 3.

What is claimed is:

1. In a gas removal apparatus having a frame on which a winding drum is rotatably mounted, a gas outlet fixed on the frame at the axis of the drum, a hose windable on said drum and having one end sealingly connected to the gas outlet, a spring device for rotating the drum to wind the hose thereon, cooperating stop means on the hose and frame for limiting the winding of hose on the drum, and releasable catch means on the frame and engageable with the spring device to hold said drum in a desired position of rotation against the action of said spring device; the improvements comprising:

said frame having spaced drum supporting portions to which opposite ends of said drum are joumalled,

said spring device being mounted on one end of 20 said spring device comprising an annular member concentric to said drum and having recess means in its outer periphery, said catch means being engageable in said recess means to lock said drum against rotation in one direction but being released therefrom when said drum is rotated in the other direction; said cooperating stop means comprising a roller on said frame parallel to the axis of said drum and spaced from the surface of said drum a distance greaterthan the diameter of said hose but less than the corresponding diameter of a stop member releasably secured on said hose for selective adjustment therealong; and said hose having a handle means at its outer end and a connector for connecting said outer end to the exhaust pipe of a motor vehicle. 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said axial sleeve is fixedly and sealingly secured to said drum.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said spring device includes two spiral springs arranged in side'by-side relation and having their ends connected, respectively, to said annular member and said adjacent frame portion. I 

1. In a gas removal apparatus having a frame on which a winding drum is rotatably mounted, a gas outlet fixed on the frame at the axis of the drum, a hose windable on said drum and having one end sealingly connected to the gas outlet, a spring device for rotating the drum to wind the hose thereon, cooperating stop means on the hose and frame for limiting the winding of hose on the drum, and releasable catch means on the frame and engageable with the spring device to hold said drum in a desired position of rotation against the action of said spring device; the improvements comprising: said frame having spaced drum supporting portions to which opposite ends of said drum are journalled, said spring device being mounted on one end of said drum and said catch means being mounted on the adjacent frame portion, the other end of said drum having an axial sleeve sealingly journalled relative to said gas outlet and which an end of said hose sealingly surrounds; said spring device comprising an annular member concentric to said drum and having recess means in its outer periphery, said catch means being engageable in said recess means to lock said drum against rotation in one direction but being released therefrom when said drum is rotated in the other direction; said cooperating stop means comprising a roller on said frame parallel to the axis of said drum and spaced from the surface of said drum a distance greater than the diameter of said hose but less than the corresponding diameter of a stop member releasably secured on said hose for selective adjustment therealong; and said hose having a handle means at its outer end and a connector for connecting said outer end to the exhaust pipe of a motor vehicle.
 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said axial sleeve is fixedly and sealingly secured to said drum.
 3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said spring device includes two spiral springs arranged in side-by-side relation and having their ends connected, respectively, to said annular member and said adjacent frame portion. 